3 Responses to “Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT DW716R 15 Amp Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw”

1. Damaris
   December 17th, 2009 @ 12:55 am

   This is a great deal on a Dewalt 12 inch miter saw. This is the second reconditioned miter saw I’ve purchased. My first was a Delta 10″ which still works great, but the blade guard bit the dust and the saw is so old, the part is no longer available. Instead of trying to fix up the old saw, I decided to upgrade to this 12″ Dewalt reconditioned unit. Compare the price to a new Dewalt 716 saw costing nearly 400 bucks in the retail stores.

   Mine arrived in excellent condition and true and square right out of the box. The only slight adjustment I had to make was to adjust the miter gauge plate, which was slightly off.

   The best feature on this saw is the double bevel feature. A quick tug on the slide bolt releases the saw head to bevel either right or left. Great for cutting bevels in wide boards that you have to flip to continue the cut. The saw cuts smooth and clean. It has enough power to cut through green lumber without bogging down.

   The saw is fairly quiet, as far as power tools go! Compared to my old Delta, the Dewalt DW716R is quiet as it cuts. (I’m sure my neighbors especially appreciate this, particularly on an early Saturday morning!!!)

   As for the saw being reconditioned, I was very pleased with the condition. Other than a “reconditioned by” tag (and a small “R” melted into the plastic of the motor housing), you cannot tell that this saw has been reconditioned.

   I would have given this saw a rating of 5 stars, except that I would have liked to see some accessories included with the price of the saw. My old Delta included things like the hold down clamps and length stops. The only “accessory” you get with this saw is the dust bag. The laser system is also an “accessory” in the Dewalt line that is now being included in most other saw brands. It would be nice if Dewalt would build the laser into each of their saws as “standard equipment”. At the very least, include the hold down clamps and stops.

2. Base
   December 17th, 2009 @ 4:26 am

   DeWalt is well known for making quality tools that can stand up to the rigors of real-world jobsites and my purchase of this miter saw was strongly influenced by my past experiences with DeWalt tools I already own. I own several corded and cordless DeWalt tools and some are over 14 years old and still going strong! Only had to service a couple of the cordless drills with new trigger switches, as they finally gave out after years of use and (ah hem) some misuse by my employees on jobsite.

   I really like the added capacity of the saw versus other lesser ones, try using a 8″ or 10″ miter to make angle cuts on wide boards and you’ll understand why “bigger is better” when it comes to power miter saws. I also bought the optional laser guide and after making the required set up adjustments (took me about 20 minutes to get it as dead on accurate as possible), it works great! – I wouldn’t want to go back to using a miter saw without a laser guide, as it really speeds up cutting and accuracy. The saw is a bit heavy for lugging to/from job sites, but the weight gives it great durability and accuracy that those wimpy little “bargain priced” saws lack. The electric blade brake is fast and reliable, especially important when you need to cut 4×4′s and 6×6′s, that requires you moving the blade guard up into the locked position. The saw has all of the common, most used angle stops built in, as do most miter saws. The table is easy to move and rotates smoothly even with heavy posts on it.

   It would have been nice to have two (2) table extension support arms instead of just the one (1) included, and to have a stock clamp for those few times you need to cut shorter pieces and want something a little stronger than your hand holding the wood being cut, especially when you’re close to the blade.

   Overall, I gave it a 4 out of a possible 5 only because the ultimate miter saw hasn’t been designed or built yet. But this one is pretty close to having all the features you’ll need around the jobsite or at home.

   I was going to get the sliding miter saw, but it’s just too big and heavy and requires a lot of room to set up. Also, don’t expect to move a sliding miter around much once you set it on a bench, they also don’t survive very long being transported in the backs of trucks, or at job sites. I looked around for a long time at all the new miter saws out there before deciding on this on. Even the Hitachi sliding saw looked like a sure winner, until I went to lift it up, (“oof”). While it might look smaller and doesn’t require much space behind it when sliding, it still has all the weight associated with a sliging saw, so that cinched it for me.

   My humble advice is get the tool that will do what you need/want to do and forget about features you won’t use, as they only make your purchase more expensive. By the way, this was supposed to be a reconditioned saw, but when I opened the box, it appeared to be brand new with absolutely no signs of it ever having been used before. (couldn’t even find the “re-conditioned” sticker).

   My next tool purchase will likely be the miter saw table stand for this saw.

3. Urja
   December 17th, 2009 @ 8:15 am

   The price was great and I decided to take a chance on a factory-reconditioned saw. It set up without too much trouble, but soon started running grease down the blade. Lugged it to the factory service center (35 miles), they repaired it for no charge and it’s now running great. Fine saw, especially with a better blade installed.

   Word of advice: the miter gauge is very good, but the bevel gauge is almost useless for a cut not using the preset stops. I suggest you cut a 1X4 or 1X6 using the miter gauge for the bevel angle you want and use that piece for the bevel cut by lining it up against the blade. That way you get much better accuracy and excellent repeatability for the cut you want.

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